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About 30 fast-food workers and others rallied in front of the McDonald's restaurant on Chapman Highway on Thursday morning, chanting slogans and calling for a $15 minimum wage and union representation for low-wage workers.

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Approximately 40 fast food workers rallied Thursday, April 14, 2016, at the McDonald's, 2505 Chapman Highway, in support of a nationwide effort for higher wages and union rights for minimum wage workers. The workers are seeking a $15-an-hour minimum wage. A rally also is planned for McDonald's, 1720 Cumberland Ave., later Thursday. (MICHAEL PATRICK/NEWS SENTINEL)(Photo: MICHAEL PATRICK/NEWS SENTINEL)Buy Photo

Shemora Rogers, foreground, and about 30 other fast food workers rallied in front of the McDonald's on Chapman Highway Thursday, April 14, 2016, chanting and calling for a $15 minimum wage. The group rallied for about two hours chanting slogans like 'If we don't get it, shut it down,' and 'Workers united will never be defeated.' (MICHAEL PATRICK/NEWS SENTINEL) (Photo: Michael Patrick)

About 30 fast-food workers and others rallied in front of the McDonald's restaurant on Chapman Highway on Thursday morning, chanting slogans and calling for a $15 minimum wage and union representation for low-wage workers.

Using bullhorns and waving signs, the group rallied for about two hours, chanting slogans such as "If we don't get it, shut it down," and "Workers united will never be defeated." The group gathered again for another rally at the McDonald's on Cumberland Avenue on Thursday afternoon. The actions were organized by the Service Employees International Union and were part of a nationwide effort to unionize fast-food workers.

"I'm really concerned about the income inequality in this country," said David Linge, a Knoxville resident participating in the rally. "It's getting worse and worse, and unless we can come to terms with it and start paying people decent wages they can live on, we are going to have a social mess."

Knoxville resident Ebony Gaither, another rally participant, said she has worked for Papa John's Pizza for about 10 years. She said she loves her job, but it pays her only $9 per hour. "I still can't provide for myself and my family, and I'm ready to stand up and speak for those who can't," she said.

Gaither said she hopes the rallies will have an impact. "I hope it moves people," she said. "I hope it wakes up Knoxville and wakes up Tennessee."

Knoxville resident Michael Love said that, to him, the rallies are about more than the $15 minimum wage.

"We all bleed red; we all need money," he said. "This is about fulfilling the dream of Rev. Martin Luther King."

Management at the Chapman Highway location declined to comment, but McDonald's corporate communications released a statement on the rally through spokeswoman Lisa McComb:

"We proudly invest in the future of those who work in McDonald's restaurants," the statement said. "In addition to raising the minimum wage for employees at our company-owned restaurants, we also offer employees access to Archways to Opportunity, a set of programs McDonald's pays for which helps them earn a high school diploma and get needed tuition assistance so they can work toward earning a college degree."

The Chapman Highway rally went without incident. Two police officers kept an eye on the rally from a distance in the McDonald's parking lot. Some drivers on Chapman Highway honked horns and waved at the group, but a few yelled insults.

Read or Share this story: https://www.knoxnews.com/story/money/2016/04/14/fast-food-workers-rally-at-2-knoxville-mcdonalds-locations-demanding-15-wage/90895102/